|
|
Post by troubledgoodangel on Jun 27, 2007 5:48:09 GMT -7
It seems that Poland is always ready for new scandals and controversies. On June 26, 2007, Adam Leszczyñski has reported in the Gazeta Wyborcza about the brewing dispute on the "Mieczyk Chrobrego" (the Chrobry's Little Sword) which the pro-Jewish organization "Never Again" demands be banned on Polish stadiums alongside with the swastika. This insignia, a clumsy replica of the "Szczerbiec (the Dented One)," an antique sword, kept at the Wawel's treasury, and regarded as one of the greatest relics of Poland, gained its prominence in 1926 as a symbol of Polish nationalism, but is still being used by the LPR (Liga Polskich Rodzin) and the M³odzie¿ Wszechpolska. The history of the "Mieczyk" is tumultuous. On December 4, 1926, during a session of the National People's League (Ludowy Zwi¹zek Narodowy), Roman Dmowski, one of the Poland's Founding Fathers, with noble intentions no doubt, called for a "consolidation of all nationalistic youth organs." And so the Caucus of Great Poland was born (Obóz Wielkiej Polski), and the "Mieczyk" was chosen as the official insignia, wrapped trice with the Polish flag. Dmowski and the members of OWP, all carried the "innocent" Mieczyk in their lapels, and everything seemed all right, ... until some naive and easily impressionable organizers began to emulate the Hitlerjugend too closely. The similarities were indeed astounding: the Polish salute "Czo³em" involved raising the right hand with the palm down; the motto chosen was identical to that of the Waffen SS: "discipline, loyalty, and obedience to death." And, alas, the Mieczyk's pommel, rather than the noble inscriptions about God found on Szczerbiec, carried a single letter "P" written dangerously in form of a swastika, as it clearly appeared even to the most casual observer. What was far more troubling, was that the spirit itself appeared Hitlerian. With the help of OWP, the Jewish students began to be separated into "classroom ghettos" - the so-called "ghetta ³awkowe". Soon the Jewish shops began to be boycotted, and there was a call to eliminate all Jews from Poland's economic life. Alarmed, Roman Dmowski dissolved the OWP on March 28, 1933. But the Pan-Polish Youth (M³odzie¿ Wszechpolska) went underground and became even more militant "against the Jews and the Communists." Here is the text of their "Walka" brochure, which circulated on campuses in January 1937: "Progress, Education, and Democracy have a nice sound. But, what is really hidden behind them, is the loathsome Jewish spirit. The billy-clubbing, to which you have such aversion, is in reality a beautiful strife for the national liberation from the Jewish bonds. Just think, you meet a Jew or a Communist somewhere in a blind alley. You hit him! You hit him with an iron in the teeth. You must not back off, mamma's boy (maminsynku)"! Do the Jews have a point when they demand the that Mieczyk Chrobrego, the symbol of Polishness, be not carried into Polish soccer stadiums? It's a difficult question, but I think they do. If the Mieczyk is indeed a precious Polish symbol, it cannot stand for hate. This is why, I see no better solution than to make the replica absolutely faithful to the original, or else to ban it altogether!
|
|
Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Jun 27, 2007 13:04:59 GMT -7
Młodzież Wszechpolska provoked a few scandals with their gestures or speeches.   The football fan ready to punch in 1997 is the present minister Rafał Wiechecki, a memebr of LPR.  Szczerbiec, a publication by NOP which sometimes cooperates with Młodzież Wszechpolska.  |
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Jun 27, 2007 22:15:40 GMT -7
|
|
|
|
Post by troubledgoodangel on Jun 28, 2007 9:24:40 GMT -7
|
|
|
|
Post by troubledgoodangel on Jun 28, 2007 10:55:52 GMT -7
There is only analogical similarity between "mieczyk Chrobrego" and Szczerbiec (Miecz Chrobrego). The Mieczyk is a small lapel insignia resembling a dagger, with a white-red Polish flag wrapped around its blade three times at an angle. There is no similarity as far as shape is concerned, for the double-edged Mieczyk is short and bulky, with its semicircular hilt crowned with a circular pommel containing a single letter "P" hand-written in form of a swastika (at least so it seems to me). The Miecz of Chrobry, on the other hand, is a very antique and revered sword used at the coronations of Polish Kings (it was snatched to Canada in 1939 to avoid being captured by the Nazis, and later returned to Wawel). Briefly, according to legend, Szczerbiec is believed to have been received from an Angel. The dents on the blade were supposedly caused when King Boles³aw Chrobry (992-1025), struck with it the Golden Gate in Kijów (the King had successfully conquered Kijów after earlier vanquishing the Germans). On the Szczerbiec's pommel, instead of the Mieczyk's mentioned letter "P," there are ornamental natural plants, crosses, letters Alpha and Omega, and an inscription which reads: "ten znak s³u¿y do mi³owania królów i sêdziów sporu ksi¹¿¹t" (this sign is for the purpose that kings and judges of princely disputes be loved" (my translation, but meaning isn't altogether clear, so I leave it to the experts). On the hilt, there is an eagle symbolizing John the Evangelist, an Angel representing St. Matthew, as well as a lion and an ox, standing for St. Mark and St. Luke. There is also a statue of the Lamb holding a banner, surrounded by an aureole; the blood is gushing from the side of the Lamb. Nearby, there is the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, JHWH (the Hebrew inscriptions are very interesting)! On the hilt's hand-guard (jelec), there are also symbols of the Evangelists accompanied by another Hebrew inscription Con Citomon Eeue Sedalai Ebrehel. These are meant to be the Divine Names (despite my knowledge of Biblical Hebrew, I am not sure if the engraver wrote these names correctly, although the Sedalai seems to be a misspelling of Shaddai). By the side, there is a clarification which reads: "Whoever will carry these Divine Names with him, will be immune to danger." As far as the blade itself, on the one side there is an inscription: "This is the sword of King Boles³aw," (it should be noted that King Boles³aw Chrobry was a mighty warrior who ruled 30 years, always in war with his neighbors. But he was also a very religious person and friend of Rome. He bought the body of St. Wojciech murdered in 997 by the Prussians, and buried it at Gniezno, the capital of Poland which he founded). On the opposite side of the blade the sentence continues: "with whom there is the Lord of Hosts, Savior of all, so that He help him against enemy, Amen." I am neither historian nor an expert in antique weaponry, but I think that the Hebrew inscriptions may indicate that the sword was made by Hebrew goldshmits known to have existed in the Germany of Otton III in the 1,000s. This king, a close relative of King Boles³aw, is known to have given Boles³aw Chrobry the lance of St. Mauritius during a visit to Gniezno. This is all that I know, other than the interesting legend that the Szczerbiec, besides coronations, was regarded throughout Polish history as a talisman "bringing good luck."
|
|
Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Jun 28, 2007 13:03:48 GMT -7
 This is the controvercial badge. It has already been banned by the Polish Footbal Association. People wearing it won`t be let into football stadiums. Along with the sword, other symbols have been banned too. Among them: Svastika Symbols and badges of Hitlerjugend, NSDAP and SS symbols and flags of the National Front of Jean Maria Le Pen The flag of Confederate States  This is not a joke! |
|
|
|
Post by szelest on Aug 22, 2007 13:40:00 GMT -7
Dear troubledgoodangel,
First of all, the organisation "Never Again" is no pro-Jewish organisation. It's a punk and red-skin (punk communists) organisation which pretends to "fight with fascism". It's interesting to note that they have been actively promoting a certain black immigrant in Poland named Simon Mol, who has been convicted to having various sexual relations with women knowing he was HIV infected.
The polish national movement (which does not consider itself as nationalist, because of the lack of any doctrina) may seem having certain similarities with National-Socialism. However doing so is very simplist, ahistoric and is completely ignoring the climate of the european pre-war, especially the militaristic specificity of the pre-war Poland. As a member of MW I can assure you that the polish national movement never inspired itself from the hitlerians.
On the Mieczyk there is no inscriptions simply because the mieczyk is small and could not contain any inscriptions. The letter P you are referring to is probably Polska Walczaca which comparison with the svastica (which is, I remind you, a protoslavonic symbol also commonly used in pre-war Poland, including in military orders, scouting, etc.) is grotesque, unless you are referring to some symbol of the neopagan organisation "Zadruga".
If I'm not mistaking it is the Pilsudski government, famous censor, which dissolved OWP, NOT Dmowsi.
Antisemitism existed of course, the Jews being not only opposed to an idea of a sovereign polish state, but practicing economical discrimination towards Poles. It is maybe sad and politically incorrect to say so, but I consider that the pre-war Jews by their cold relations and chauvinism towards Europeans in order to avoid assimilation are somewhat responsible for what was happening to them.
|
|
